The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-07-22
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Tho Brooklyn Preacher at "The
Hamptons."
"A Discourse ON Paups Departure from
Earth to the ClorIes Beyond
The Apostles Final Triumph
over Death.

ApEhe Ham ptOush on a recent SabDathy
taking for his topic "From Dungeon to
Palace" HIS text wass
The time OF my departure Is at hand
Timothy w., 6.
The way out OF this world is so blocked
ND with CONN and hearse, and under
takers spade and screw-drlver, that the
Christian can hardly think as he ought Of
the most cheerful passage in all his his
tory we hang black instead Of white
over the place whore the good man gets
his last victory. We stand weeping over
q heap OF chains which the freed soul has
shaken of, and we say:
s'Poor mani What pity IL was he had
20 come to this :"
Come to whats BY the time the people
have Assem- bled at the obsequies that
man has been three days SO happy that
all the Joys Of earth accumulated would
DO wrotchedness beside it, and he might
better weep over you because you have
TO stay than you weep over him be-
cause he had to 90. 1t is a fortunate
thing that good man does not have to
wait 10 see his own obsequles; they would
be so discordant with his own experience.
III the Israelites should go back to Egypt
and mourn over the brick-kilns they once
left they would not be any more silly
than that Christian who should forsake
Heaven and come down and mourn be-
cause he had to leave this world. Our
idea or a Christians death are morbid
and sickly. We look upon it as dark
hole in which a man tumbles when his
breath gives out. The whole subject is
odorous with varnish and disinfectants
instead Of being sweet with mignonette.
Paul, in my text, takes that great clod Of
a word death" and throws IL away, and
speaks Of his parture"-beautiful,
bright suggestive word, descriptive Of
every Christians release
Now, departure implies a starting place
and place OF destination. When Paul
left this world, what was the starting
pointl IL was a scence of great physical
distress. II was the Tulianum, the lower
dungeon Of the Mamertine prison. The
top dungeon was bad enough, it having
no means Of ingress or egress but through
an opening IN the top. Through that the
prisoner was lowered, and through that
Eamo all the food and air and light re-
ueived. II was a terrible place, that up
per dungeon; but the Talliauum was the
lower dungeon, and that was still more
wretched, the only light and the only air
coming through the roof, and that roof
the floor of the upper dungeon.
That was PauPs last earthly residence.
IL was a dungeon just six and half feet
high. Il was a doleful place, 1t had the
chill Of long centuries of dampness. 1t
was filthy with the long incarcerations
Of miserable wretches. 1t was there that
Paul spent his last days on
earth, and IL is there that 1 see him to-
day, IN the fearful dungeon, shivering,
blue with cold, waiting for that old over
coat which he had sent for up to Troas,
and which they had not sent down, not
withstanding he had written for it,
II some skillful surgeon should go into
that dungeon whore Paul is incarcerated,
we might find out what are the prospects
Of Paups living through the rough I'm
prisonment In the first place, he is an old
man, only two years short of seventy. At
that very time when he most needs the
warmth, and the sunlight, and the fresh
air, he is shut out from the sun. What
are those scars on his ankles3 Why,
those were gotten when he was fast his
feet in the stocks. Every time he turned
the hash on his ankles started. What
are those scars on his bacll You know
he was whipped five times, each time get
ting thirty-nine strokes-one hun
dred and ninety five bruises on the
back Count themD made by the
Jews with rods Of elmwood, each
one OF the one hundred and ninety-five
strokes bringing the blood. Look at Paul s
face and look at his armsi Where did he
get those bruisesl think it was when
he was struggling ashore amidst the
shvered timbers Of the shipwreck 1 see
q cash in Paups side Where did he get
thatl / think he got that in the tussle
with the highwaymen, for he had been in
peril or robbers, and he had money Of his
own. Ho was mechanic as we'll as an
apostle, and l think the tents he made
were as good as his sermons.
There is Il wanness about Paul's looks.
What makes thatl think a part OK that
twenty-four hours on plank in tho Med
iterranean sea, suffering terribly before
he was rescued; for he says, positively;
81 was night and day in the deep"
Oh, worn-out, emaciated old mani sure
ly you must be melancholy; no constitu-
tion could endure this and be cheerful
But / press my way through the prison
until come up close TO where he is; and
by the faint light that streams through
the opening see on his face supernat-
ural Joy, and bow before him and say
aged man, how can you keep cheerful
amid all this gloomF'
His voice startles the darkness Of the
place as he cries out
lam now ready TO be offered, and tho time OF
my departure is at hand.
Harkl what is that shuhling Of feet in
the upper dungeons Why, Paul has an
invitation to a banquet, and he is going TO
dine to-day with the King. Those shut
fling feet are the feet OF the executioners.
They come, and they cry down through
the hole Of the dungeon.
Hurry up, old man. Come now; get
yourself ready"
Why, Paul was ready. He had nothing
TO pack up He had no baggage to take.
He had been ready a good while. see
him rising up and strengthening out his
stidenod limbs, and pushing back his
white hair from his crev1ced forehead,
and see him looking up through the hole
in the roof OF the dungeon into the face of
his eNCcutioner and hear him say:
lam now ready to be offered, and the time OF
my departure is ut hand.
Then they lift him out Of the dungeon,
and they start with him to the place of
execution. They say;
Hurry along, old man, or you viii feel
the weight Of our spears. Hurry along"
"How far is it, says Paul, ''we have to
travelI"
''Three miles"
Three miles is a good way for an old
man to travel after he has been whipped
and crippled with maltreatment. But
they soon get 90 the place Of execution
Acque Salvia-and he is fastened to the
pillar of martyrdom. Itdoes not take any
strength to tie him fast He makes no
resistance. o PAUL. why not strike for
your lifel You have a great many friend 5
here. With that withered hand just
launch the thunderbolt Of the people upon
those infamous soldiers. MOI Paul was
not going to interfere with his own cor.
onation. He was too glad to 90. I see
him looking UP in the face Of his execu-
tioner, and, as the grim official draws the
sword, Paul calmly says:
am now ready to be offered and the time Of
my departure Is at hand
But put my hand over my eyes. ]
want not TO see that last struggle One
sharp, keen stroke, and Paul does 90 10
the banquet uand Paul docs dine with the
King.
What a transition IL wasl From the
malaria Of Rome 70 the finest climate in
the univcrBe-the zone Of eternal beauty